News24 | National Dialogue can succeed, but must expose ‘government’s failures’, say prominent figures

Retired Constitutional Court Justice Edwin Cameron wants “an effective, honest, and strong anti-corruption-busting unit” to come out of the National Dialogue.

• On the National Convention opening day, prominent South Africans acknowledged the long and challenging path toward improving the country, but expressed hope.
• The first National Convention is being held at Unisa’s Muckleneuk Campus in Pretoria this weekend, with around 1 000 delegates expected.
• The dialogue has faced controversy, with prominent foundations like the Thabo Mbeki, Desmond Tutu, and Steve Biko foundations withdrawing due to numerous concerns.

Some of South Africa’s most prominent figures acknowledged that while the path to improving the country will be difficult, the National Convention process can succeed.

The National Convention is taking place at Unisa’s Muckleneuk Campus in Pretoria from Friday, as a precursor to the National Dialogue.

About 1 000 delegates are expected to attend; 755 people have been invited from over 30 sectors, and over 200 organisations.

Some of the key figures tasked to champion the National Dialogue include the founder of humanitarian organisation Gift of the Givers, Imtiaaz Sooliman.

Sooliman’s organisation has been at the forefront of global and local humanitarian efforts for decades.

READ | National Dialogue: Task force raises concerns over lack of budget

“I was grateful that they asked me to get involved because we’re involved in a big way in any case in fixing the country in many aspects, in many different parts. Whether it’s education, health, water, or hunger,” he said.

Gift of the Givers has distributed over R6 billion in aid across 47 countries over the last 32 years.

Sooliman said that there are people in government who cannot deliver decent services.

“We have inefficient people within government itself that can’t do service delivery. They’re not skilled enough to do what needs to be done. That’s a big challenge.

“There’s a bureaucracy in the red tape. And that’s one of the things we want to raise in the process. I’d like to ask the president directly why we have systems that delay delivery. So often billions get allocated, but they’re never used,” he said.

READ | Stalwarts Foundation Forum rallies for National Convention amid exodus drama

Sooliman added that there is a trust deficit between voters and the government.

“People, at the end of the day, are suffering. And those people have put their trust in the electoral process. This is why people are complaining. Not so many people are coming to vote. Why are they not coming to vote? Because they put their trust in you and you let them down. We need to fix that system.

“The dialogue can’t be about only listening to people’s problems. It also must be to tell the government about the messes they are making. The dialogue must expose the government’s failures, not just hear citizens’ grievances,” he said.

Retired Constitutional Court Justice Edwin Cameron wants one outcome from the National Dialogue.

He said:

Cameron was referring to the “Glenister judgment”, a case that was heard in the Constitutional Court in 2011.

The case centred on the establishment and independence of an anti-corruption unit, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), known as the Hawks.

At the time, the court ruled that the DPCI, as established, did not meet the constitutional requirement of adequate independence from political influence.

Cameron added: “That is exactly what the Constitutional Court called for in its Glenister judgment of 2011, but which Parliament and the executive have failed to implement for nearly a decade and a half.”

The proposed National Dialogue has also been mired in controversy after prominent legacy foundations withdrew.

The Thabo Mbeki, Desmond and Leah Tutu, Steve Biko, and FW de Klerk foundations announced their withdrawal from the dialogue last week.

Following a meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa last Thursday, they expressed concerns over government control and inadequate preparation.

The National Dialogue has an estimated R700-million price tag and has faced backlash, with opposition parties labelling the cost “grotesque and wasteful”.

The South African Council of Churches (SACC) convened an urgent meeting earlier this week to discuss the National Dialogue.

In a statement, the SACC said: “We collectively register our grave concern at the developments that have taken place around the hosting of the National Convention earmarked for 15 and 16 August, as a first step in the National Dialogue.

The statement continues:

“This could allow us all to work together to maximise unity through an inclusive journey from the start,” it said.

The SACC added that the concerns raised about the readiness to host the National Convention must be addressed in their entirety to build confidence in society.

“Confidence can only be established by insisting on transparency, accountability, and adherence to all procurement laws.

“The dialogue can only succeed if we maximise unity, societal ownership, and leadership of the process. It needs to be clearly spelt out what appropriate steps will be taken for those who are found to have misdirected the resources in this endeavour,” it added.